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“They smile with something like relief, something like remembrance, something like ease” (284 Ward)

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“They smile with something like relief, something like remembrance, something like ease” (284 Ward)

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This scene takes place as Kayla sends the ghosts away through her singing. The ghosts are going somewhere peaceful, similar to when Richie temporarily disappeared after hearing Pop's story. Kayla has not yet shown signs of having a gift however this might be the start of hers. Jojo and Leonie both have the gift of seeing ghosts; Richie did not disappear, and neither did Given until certain events led them to. The purpose of the gift is actually for the people with it to guide the ghosts back to peace. Jojo was able to do this for Richie by getting Pop's story. Leonie was also able to help Given by guiding Mam beyond death with Given's help.

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“Because we don’t walk no straight lines. It’s all happening at once. All of it We are all here at once” (236 Ward). 

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“Because we don’t walk no straight lines. It’s all happening at once. All of it We are all here at once” (236 Ward). 

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Mam is talking to Jojo right before her death, and she is telling Jojo what will happen to her after death. This is yet another reference to timelessness similar to Riches description of how time flowed while being a ghost in Parchman. This can be connected to the place apart in the romance genre. In Sing unburied Sing death is often shown as either something peaceful, or full of violence like in Given and Richies deaths. For the ghosts death is not the end or the return to peace that is expected. Death should also return people back to peace but it doesn’t. In this way death is almost unnatural and prevents anyone who lost their innocence from regaining it in death.

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"Cold at the heart, time worming it's way through her hardening veins."

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"Cold at the heart, time worming it's way through her hardening veins."

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In this quote, Leonie is assessing Mam's situation when it comes to her health. When Leonie says "time worming its way through her hardening veins" she alludes to the psychological and emotional toll that the passing of time can have on people. This brings the inevitability of aging and the effects of life's challenges to light. Mam has faced many challenges throughout her life, including, the death of her son, Given, and her daughter's struggle with substance abuse along with her lack of ability to take care of her children. A more obvious struggle is Mam's battle with cancer. Altogether, this quote tells us that over time Mam has become more resilient and more vulnerable.

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"Time floods the room in a storm surge. I wail," (269)

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"Time floods the room in a storm surge. I wail," (269)

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In this quote, Leonie is describing how she is with Mam and Mam goes still. Her reaction symbolizes the love she had for Mam and how the cycle of time has a deep impact on her and her family. Time is portrayed as a harsh force that doesn't stop or slow down for anyone. At this moment, where Mam goes still, time seems to stand still for Leonie and it takes on a new significance. The gravity of the situation hits her and she realizes what has happened to Mam. Time serves as a reminder that love, pain, and history are inescapable and they continue to affect all of the characters in the novel.

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"There's no time. This moment done ate it all up: the past, the future," (267).

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"There's no time. This moment done ate it all up: the past, the future," (267).

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While Mam is passing away, Leonie realizes all moments in time are coming together. Mam's death has made her come to terms that all events happen at the same time. Like Mam said before, even if people are dead, they are still kept alive through their purpose. Richie, although dead, is still a ghost because of his need for love. His time and suffering at Parchman is parallel to his search for peace. Richie has a purpose, like how Given's purpose for being a ghost is to help Mam die peacefully. As a result of understanding time, Leonie is able to let go of Mam and let her die.

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"The weight of time he never bore in life holds him rigid now, cloaks him somber, whittles him sharp as Pop," (265).

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"The weight of time he never bore in life holds him rigid now, cloaks him somber, whittles him sharp as Pop," (265).

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In this quote, Leonie sees Given in a new way. When he was alive, he was carefree and humorous. However now, he has experienced more which has caused him to mature. The passage of time has given him insight that has made him into a man. Similar to Pop, who has lived for a while and experienced hardship, Given acknowledges what he has been through and matures. Death and experience brings maturity, similar to how Jojo understands death, thus maturing him.

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"'What you told them?' I ask ... 'I told them it was time,' Michael says. 'That if they love me, they got to love them, too, because they a piece of me'" (199-200)

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"'What you told them?' I ask ... 'I told them it was time,' Michael says. 'That if they love me, they got to love them, too, because they a piece of me'" (199-200)

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In this quote, Michael talks about how Leonie, Jojo, and Kayla are visiting Michael's parents. Despite the rocky relationship between families, Michael says that it is time for his parents to love and accept Jojo and Kayla. He says that Jojo and Kayla are a piece of him so if they love him, they must love them too. This brings up the idea that their blood relation is a way to bridge the gap between families. It is a potential for growth and reconciliation even in challenging family dynamics.

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"Like he's sorry for me, for what I got to learn. 'And time,' he says. 'You don't know...about time,'" (184).

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"Like he's sorry for me, for what I got to learn. 'And time,' he says. 'You don't know...about time,'" (184).

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Richie, as a ghost, knows more about life than Jojo does. Through his words, Richie draws a line between them. By doing this, he establishes that just because Jojo is 13 years old and Richie was 12 when he died, Richie has seen more years pass and understands how time works. As a result of being trapped at Parchman, Richie sees prisoners come and go, but he also sees them age. Jojo has only lived for 13 years and has not had the experience Richie has to give him insight on life. As a result of a lack of experience, Jojo cannot mature and learn from what he has seen along the trip.

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"'You're pregnant,' Mama said. 'I saw two weeks ago.'" (156).

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"'You're pregnant,' Mama said. 'I saw two weeks ago.'" (156).

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In this quote, Mam tells Leonie she knows Leonie is pregnant with Jojo. Mam knew this because of the family gift and she offered to give Leonie a herbal abortion, but Leonie said she wanted a baby. If Leonie had agreed to the abortion, she could have moved to California with Michael and they could have lived their dream. This brings us back to the idea that Leonie does not value Jojo and Kayla as her children because she views them as burdens that hold her back from her dreams. This could be one of the reasons that Leonie treats her kids the way she does. Altogether, since Leonie rejected Mam's offer of using her gift on Leonie, she got stuck with kids she did not seem to want. This is one of the many ways the family gift affects the course of the novel.

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"Phantom Given is the heart of a clock, and his leaving makes the rest of it tick tock tick tock, makes the roads unfurl, the trees whip, the rain stream, the wipers swish (167 Ward).

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"Phantom Given is the heart of a clock, and his leaving makes the rest of it tick tock tick tock, makes the roads unfurl, the trees whip, the rain stream, the wipers swish (167 Ward).

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Leonie's gift is to be able to see the dead, specifically her brother Given. The arrival of Given during certain events in the book seems to stop time for Leonie, as she says "[Given] leaving makes the rest of it tick tock...". Given also shows up when Leonie is at her weakest or worst. Given is from a time when Leonie was not an addict struggling in life. When Leonie sees Given she remembers that her life is not what it was meant to be and that maybe she is wasting it. The difference between Mams life and Leonies life is their acceptance of their respective gifts. Mams life has been filled with happiness and family because she was not fighting part of who she is. Leonie has never fully embraced hers which has caused her life to not be what she expected and it is not at all what Mams life was like.

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"I didn't understand time, either, when I was young," (186).

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"I didn't understand time, either, when I was young," (186).

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In this quote, Richie is thinking back to when he was alive at Parchman with Pop. By saying he did not understand time then, he implies that he understands it now. The passing of time brings knowledge to a person, similar to how old people are assumed to be wise. Richie has been a ghost since he died, meaning he has learned from his time at Parchman. He watched the world change around him. Richie has seen people grow old and die, and he has also seen decades pass. So, Jojo may be older than Richie, but Richie has experienced more than he has. As a result, Richie understands life because of his wider knowledge.

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"See the birds? Kayla asks... "All the birds go bye, Kayla says," (127).

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"See the birds? Kayla asks... "All the birds go bye, Kayla says," (127).

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In this quote, Kayla talks about birds that Jojo can't see. In this chapter Kayla is sick and after she falls sick she begins to see these birds. This is an inheritance of the family gift. The birds are supposed to represent the dead and the bird's wings represent freedom. This ties back to the idea of magical realism in the book as this is obviously a supernatural occurrence. This quote highlights how Ward's literature uses supernatural ideas to delve into the emotional aspect of human conditions. She uses the idea of ghosts and the inheritance of powers within the family to blur the line between reality and fantasy to illuminate hidden truths.

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“I let her ideas drain from me so that the truth could pool instead” (104 Ward"

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“I let her ideas drain from me so that the truth could pool instead” (104 Ward"

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Leonie is thinking back to when Mam was teaching her about different healing plants and Mams own inheritance. Leonie says that the truth overtook what Mam taught her. This shows that many years ago she didn’t believe in the gift of her family, and this has carried over to how she currently lives. The rejections of Mams teaching and her gift especially affect Kayla in this part of the book when Kayla is sick and needs help. This demonstrates that Leonie will never be a good mother or be able to help anyone without accepting certain things like her gift.

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“Shut up, Leonie. Please, Jojo says. You don’t see” (268 Ward)

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“Shut up, Leonie. Please, Jojo says. You don’t see” (268 Ward)

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1. Jojo is yelling at Leonie that she “don’t see” referring to the ghosts that Jojo can see. Jojo is wrong in this instance because Leonie is actually able to see the ghost of Given for the first time without drugs. Leonie could finally use her gift without drugs because she was being selfless for once. Leonie has been selfish the entire book, it is only when Mam asks for her help before dying that Leonie puts someone's needs before her own. This shows that the gift is meant to help others and not yourself. When Mam always talked about her gift for plants she was saying how they could help others and not just herself. That is how the gift is supposed to be used and it works when used that way.

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"Animals had always come to me. Mama said one time she left me...one of the goats was licking my face and hand. Like it knew me," (77).

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"Animals had always come to me. Mama said one time she left me...one of the goats was licking my face and hand. Like it knew me," (77).

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In this quote, Pop talks about his own gift. Earlier, Mam explains how the gift is inherited through the bloodline. Jojo, Leonie, Mam, and Pop each have the gift, all blood members of the family. However, Leonie only pays attention to Michael, actively ignoring her children to do drugs. As a result of her ignorance, Leonie's ties to her family are diminished.  The inheritance of the trait is what brings the family together, proving that blood is thicker than water, but Leonie choosing Michael over her family is what makes her gift weaker. When Kayla gets sick, Leonie is unable to heal her as she forgot what Mam taught her. If Leonie focused on her family, she would have been more confident in her gift.

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"So I gave Richie what he wanted. He was just a boy. I laughed" - Pg.25

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"So I gave Richie what he wanted. He was just a boy. I laughed" - Pg.25

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The dynamic between Jojo and Pop is similar to the dynamic of Richie and Pop. In Parchman Prison, Pop is caring for Richie as a father would care for his own son. In the present day, Pop cares for Jojo as a replacement father figure, because Leonie and Michael are not present parents. When Jojo threw up after sight of the goat dying, Pop did not criticize him. This interaction is a parallel to Pop laughing at Richie's joke.